The incident involving the squirrel and now-former police officer happened inside a Dollar General store.

(WBIR - Mountain City, TN) A Tennessee police officer lost his job after he shot a squirrel inside a store.

It happened in Mountain City -- northeast of Johnson City.

According to police documents, now-former Officer Jody Putnam was inside a Dollar General Store when employees noticed the squirrel. Putnam apparently shot his firearm at the squirrel inside the store. When that didn't work, he used another weapon; pepper spray.

A Mountain City police officer has lost his job after an incident involving a squirrel inside a Dollar General store.(Photo: WJHL)

"There was a lot of people that come out and just like me they came out and they were coughing and a hacking," Carl Duffield told WJHL-TV. "It was comical, but I'm sure they didn't feel that way - the customers that came out."

In Mountain City, when an officer fires their weapon, they have to report it to a supervisor and make a written statement.

Putnam refused to file the report. That is a violation of department policy and for that reason, the town's Board of Mayor and Alderman fired him.